Caribbean National Claims 2018 Alternative Nobel Literature Prize

By NAN Contributor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Oct. 15, 2018: An 81-year-old Caribbean national and author is the winner of this year’s alternative Nobel Literature Prize.

Maryse Conde of Guadeloupe, a scholar of Francophone literature and Professor Emerita of French at Columbia University, won the award created to replace this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature.

The prestigious literature prize was suspended this year after a scandal at the Swedish Academy over its handling of allegations against Frenchman Jean-Claude Arnault, the husband of one of the academy’s members.

The alternative prize was announced, and Conde was nominated alongside Japan’s Haruki Murakami, the UK’s Neil Gaiman and Vietnamese-born Canadian Kim Thuy.

Conde has written more than 20 novels, including “My Childhood” (1998), “Victoire” (2010), “Who Slashed Celanire’s Throat” (2004) and “Windward Heights” (2008).

Her novels explore racial, gender and cultural issues in a variety of historical eras and locales. She has also won Le Grand Prix Litteraire de la Femme in 1986 and Le Prix de L’Académie Francaise in 1988 for her works.

The Swedish Academy said her work “describes the ravages of colonialism and post-colonial chaos in a language which is both precise and overwhelming.”

The Guadeloupian author said she is “very happy and proud” to win the alternative version.

“Please allow me to share it with my family, my friends and above all with the people of Guadeloupe, who will be thrilled and touched seeing me receive this prize,” Conde said.

She will receive win about £87,000 raised from crowdfunding and donations along with the prize at a ceremony on December 9th, one day before the Nobel banquet.

The alternative prize was set up by an organization calling itself the New Academy, comprising more than 100 Swedish writers, artists and journalists. It will be dissolved in December.